Of Guns and Sand
by Xeora
Summary: Jounouchi Katsuya has dealt with strange magical things before. Certainly, being sucked into a stone tablet, ending up in Ancient Egypt within the lap of a touchy-feely priest is totally normal. But to be rescued by Seto Kaiba? Unusual! JxK Puppyshipping.
1. The Big Rock

Of Guns and Sand

by Xeora

Stranger things have happened. All this crap with magic powers, monsters and shadow realms. Certainly, being sucked into a stone tablet and ending up in the ancient past in the lap of a touchy-feely priest would be considered normal. But being rescued by Seto Kaiba? Now that's just unusual!

Notes: My attempt at a long-term YGO! Fic. I don't want it to exceed more than ten chapters, but it may extend to 15 if I wanna be adventurous. Also, this is slight AU and just before the Battle City tournament.

Warnings: Boy love. Molesting, possible OOC (trying to avoid desperately) and ammunition. This isn't your 4kids YGO! Fic. Invisible guns have been traded for real ones. ;D

Inspired by a few images I googled.

–

One

The Big Rock

"This. Is a rock."

That was a great way to point out what was obvious, but honestly, Jounouchi Katsuya didn't quite care. In fact, he didn't quite care about much. He was bored, of course. Very bored. Standing around at a museum chock-full of broken pottery and giant rocks wasn't exactly Jou's ideal way of spending a weekend. He would have rather gone to the arcade to blow pocket change on a few rounds of _Back Alley Fighter_. But no... Yugi wanted to drag him here instead.

"_It'll be fun," the small teen said, giving off his bright child-like grin. "The new exhibit is really cool, Jou. They discovered another tomb, this time with all sorts of cool treasures. There's a mummy too."_

Jou was sold at the word "mummy", because mummies were that cool. Anything dead and preserved was pretty awesome the more the blond thought about it. But the mummy was something they saw an hour ago, and to be honest it was like every other mummy he had seen be displayed in this museum. Dead, wrinkled and wrapped in bandages. They moved onto other artifacts, such as pots, bowls, and even some jewelry. A lot of gold was on display, and even a Pharaoh's magnificent headdress was shown in a glass case. That being amongst the main part of the exhibit. Now, however, they were looking at rocks. Really big, jagged, aged rocks. _Limestone_, read the label, _painted upon to depict the story of the priest and a lover._ Not that Jou could really tell. It just looked like a bunch of symbols, pictures of animals, and sideways human figures wearing loincloths and eyeliner.

"Nyeehh..." Jou let out a bored whine, digging into his ear. He looked down at Yugi, who was looking up at the 'rock' in fascination. But than again, Yugi Mouto seemed to be fascinated by just about anything.

"Its not just a rock, Jou." Yugi said. "It tells a story."

"It's still a rock, Yuug." Jou said flatly. "A rock with a big ol' picture of some tanned dude hugging some other not-so-tanned dude. Heh. Its a homo rock."

Yugi just shook his head, smiling a little lopsidedly. "I get it, you're bored. But I wanted to look around a little more."

"At rocks?" The blond gave him a flat look.

"Yes, Jou. At the rocks." Yugi chuckled. "I can meet you at the museum restaurant in about twenty minutes? I'll buy dinner this time."

"Well..." he scratched his cheek.

"Promise." Yugi said, waving over his shoulder. He was making his way to the stairs, practically walking down two at a time. He seemed so damned cheerful, as usual. Jou could only shake his head.

"He promised dinner, so its fine." The blond rubbed his hands together, looking forward to some snazzy restaurant food. He never ate at the museum before. Well, other than during that school excursion, but that didn't count. He bummed a home made lunch off of Anzu that day. Jou shoved his hands in his pockets, looking up at the rocks plastered on the wall, carefully guarded behind bullet proof glass. He walked over to the next one, looking up at another large slab of stone. Although, it didn't look like it had fallen off some wall in a pyramid. It was perfectly squared, but with smooth edges. The paint on it looked almost fresh, and not faded like the rest. He stared at it for a moment, tilting his head. His blond locks fell over his honey colored eyes, which blinked slowly. Something akin to nostalgia washed over Jou, sending a slight shiver down his spine. These characters, though quite indistinct from the rest, seemed oddly familiar. The blond moved closer, trying to have a better look--

"Tablet of Paths..." said a soft voice, making Jou yelp and jump back. He had his arms up defensively, in an would-be kung-fu pose. There stood a woman with deeply tanned skin, dark eyes and even darker hair. She stared at him neutrally. Her arms were crossed in a loose manner, long white gown reaching passed her ankles. Her feet were covered in sandals, and she wore gold jewelry. One that caught Jou's attention was her necklace. The Eye of Ra in its center seemed to glare at him in an intimidating manner.

However...

"Hey..." Jou recognized her immediately. He stopped his stance, relaxing his shoulders. "Its you. That lady that was on the TV. This is your stuff, right?" He motioned to all the artifacts in the museum.

"If you mean this is my exhibit, then yes." She said. She was very soft spoken. "But these aren't truly _my own_. All this that surrounds you belong to the king of the sands. The god incarnated into flesh."

"Uh... huh..." Jou nodded, making an odd face.. "Okay then. I get it. I guess. So miss... uh..?"

"Ishizu Ishtar," She said, bowing her head a little. "I am truly sorry if I frightened you. But you seemed very much interested in the Tablet."

"The tablet?" He blinked. "Oh. Oh!" He jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. "You mean the rock? Yea. Nice pictures and stuff."

Ishizu shook her head. "It is not just a rock. Its an important tool once used by priests that were under the direct order of the pharaoh of Egypt."

"Ah." Jou looked back at the tablet, or the huge stone slab he nearly took pleasure in calling the 'rock'. He tried to imagine what it would be used for, only to snort. But he somehow doubted this would be used to drop on someone's head.

"The Tablet of Paths is simply a story," Ishizu said, walking forward to stand beside Jou. "A story that is always changed. As you can see, this stone here is quite old... but the hieroglyphs are not the same age at all."

"So people just wrote over it or somethin'?" Jou didn't know why he asked. He was bored... but he guessed that was all the more reason to do so.

"Priests did, yes." Ishizu said. "The story that is written is of a single figure, or of many. It is passed down to one priest after another, so that he may correct the wrongs within the lifetime of the previous owner."

The blond seemed a little confused. "Sorry, what..?"

"Ah, allow me to reword myself." Ishizu cleared her throat, touching at her necklace. "The priests of Egypt believed they could correct the wrongs of the past if they rewrote their history. To correct great wrongs, and to prevent an evil from happening. This, of course, is only a myth. The practice of the use of the Tablet had suddenly stopped during the rein of Tutankhamen." She looked over at Jou. "For reasons, he believed, that changing the past can greatly alter the future."

"Well I know that," Jou said with a nod. He crossed his arms, glad he at least knew something. "I've watched enough Twilight Zone."

Ishizu merely tilted her head, looking amused. "Of course."

"So... what's the story on this one here?" Jou pointed to the tablet. "You said it changed, or somethin'."

"Over the years we've had it, yes." Ishizu said.

"Nyehh," Jou blinked. "You actually had someone write over it? I dunno about you lady, but isn't that illegal?"

"It is not I or another being that had written over it. Or at least directly." Ishizu said. "It is a very mysterious artifact. It had been interpreted at least a thousand different times over the past hundred years my family had kept it safe. The writing changes, you see. It is never the same. It erases parts of itself, and sometimes those parts never come back." She pointed up to it. "There are missing points here, here... and here." She pointed at the bottom.

"... well, I've heard of spookier things." Jou said. Like Shadow Games, magic pharaohs, real monsters. So stuff like this didn't really surprise him. After all, he did hang out with Yugi.

"It tells the story of a priest who had lost a lover." Ishizu went on. "The high priest to the pharaoh of that time had fallen in love with a Roman soldier. It skips to a part of betrayal, war... and of the priest becoming consumed in his anguish. But as to how the story ends..." She motioned towards the bottom. "That part is missing."

"Interestin'..." sadly, Jou was only half listening. Meaning he really wasn't, he had grown bored again. Ishizu took the hint, obviously.

"Well, it was lovely meeting you, Jounouchi." Ishizu gave him a short bow. "Enjoy the rest of the exhibit."

"Yea thanks--" Jou's eyes went wide and he turned to face her. "Hey--!"

However, she was no longer there. And oddly, he didn't even hear her pad off.

"... woah, creepy..." The blond shivered involuntarily. "How in the world did she know my name..?"

He didn't even introduce himself to that woman.

"Jou...?"

"Gah!" The blond clutched his heart, whipping himself around to see the surprised Yugi, looking up at him with his big purple eyes. "Oh, jesus... what's with everyone sneaking up on me today?"

"Sorry," Yugi rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "I didn't think you would still be here. I thought you'd be at the restaurant."

"Oh yea. S'okay, Yuug." Jou said, letting out a heavy sigh. "I was on my way, then this big rock kinda stole my attention." He pointed to the Tablet of Paths. "Bright colors."

Yugi looked up at it, smiling softly. "I see. So you found something you're interested in other than mummies."

"Guess so..." Jou said, placing his hand on his stomach. It growled loudly. "Man... Yuug, I'm starving. Lets go get some grub."

"I did promise dinner," Yugi said, hands behind his head as they walked. "I was thinking about getting a burger..."

"At a museum restaurant?" Jou grinned. "Bet they're fancy~"

The smaller boy only laughed. "Thanks for coming with me today, Jou."

"No problem, Yuug. It was kinda enlightening I guess." The blond said, shoving his hands in his pocket. The farther they walked, there seemed to be a slight nagging feeling growing in the back of Jou's mind. He was midway down the hall when he suddenly stopped. "Aw, geeze..." he said suddenly, biting his lip.

Yugi paused as well, looking back at his friend. "What's wrong?"

"I dunno, I think I might have forgotten something back there." Jou pointed behind him. "You go ahead. I'll catch up."

Yugi nodded. "Okay. Want me to order something for you?"

"A ton of fries, milkshake and two burgers." In other words, 'the usual'. Yugi laughed again.

"See you in a bit then."

Jou turned on his heel, walking back a little briskly. "What did I forget...?" he muttered, straining his mind. He didn't remember bringing anything with him other than a wallet and his pass for the museum. He dug into his pockets again, feeling around for his only important object. His wallet was there, and so was the stub from the museum ticket. He stopped in the room of stone tablets, walls and general rocks. He looked around on the ground, then looked up towards the wall. There was the Tablet of Paths. For some reason, his nagging feeling had completely gone.

"Hn... weird..." Jou said, a frown on his face. He looked up at the stone again for a moment, blinking a little. "... musta been imagining it or something..." Still, he couldn't look away from the tablet. In fact, the longer he stared, the brighter the paint on it seemed to get. It looked quite animated... quite alive. He thought, for a moment, that he could hear what these hieroglyphs were trying to convey. These voices, this language... he couldn't understand a damn word of it. Still, he was compelled forward. He outstretched his hand, fingers brushing over the bullet proof glass, which seemed to slowly melt away. As weird as that was, Jou couldn't help his overwhelming need to touch the stone.

The moment his fingers made contact is when everything seemed to fall down around him.

"W-wha...?!" Jou had just another moment to yelp, as the ground beneath him crumbled like a thin cookie. The walls, the pillars, the artifacts... all but the Tablet of Paths fell at an alarming rate. Jou desperately grabbed at the air, attempting to take hold of the stone that floated above him.

All he knew now was falling.

–

Well... this will be fun. The next installment includes a very familiar face. :D

Reviews please. I'll hopefully post the next chapter tomorrow evening.

Xeora


	2. Damned Rapist!

Of Guns and Sand

by Xeora

O shit. Another chapter! D:

Thanks to all who reviewed, faved and put me on watch. If you did at least one of these things, _**expect a naked **_**Seto Kaiba**_** in **_**your bed**_** this evening**_.

… lol okay I lied. _I'm_ gonna be nude. In your bed. Rolling in your sheets.

Cuz ilu. :c

Warnings: The usual. Also, I hope to get trigger happy by chapter four. O.o

Disclaimer: O hell, I almost forgot to mention I don't do this for profit. Just for fun and for the sake of mansex. Which, in a sense, is a mental form of profit. At the same time its printable, trade able, and makes people more than happy to receive... you still can't sue. :c

–

Two  
Damned Rapist!

Falling dreams always end in the same ways.

One either jolts awake from 'impact', or falls right off the edge of whatever they've been sleeping on. Jou felt that surge from the 'impact' of his descent, causing his eyes to open instantly. His heart was racing rather fast, and everything was still blurry. He let out a low groan, his body aching. "Ugh... what a dream..." His mattress felt unusually lumpy and hard, and yet comfortable. Not to mention it would shift slightly without his consent, and it was touching his face too. It ran its fingers through his hair. Wow, what an affectionate mattress. Jou unconsciously returned the affection with a soft hug. As hugs were nice to give.

"Jono..." and the mattress could talk too. A male voice, as it was low. It was soft, almost cold. It was very, _very_ familiar.

Of course, this was quite unusual. Jou hadn't exactly processed that as of yet. However, when he did, is when he finally remembered he wasn't at home, sleeping on his bed with the loose springs, odd smell and taco stains. He opened his honey colored eyes, trying to blink them into focus. For now, all he could see was a tan blur, with a bit of white and gold mixed in. He closed his eyes again tightly, finally opening them when his sight had become clear (give or take a few dots dancing around his vision). Jou looked up, seeming curious.

What he saw made him nearly scream like a little girl. Nearly being that he was much too macho to actually let it out. However, he did _squeak_. And o, did he squeak.

"_K-Kaiba!_"

Jou panicked, suddenly flailing. He fell right out of the man's lap, and onto some hard stone floor. "Ow! Damnit!" He hurt his backside and hit his tail bone, making him hiss and whine. He rubbed it, looking up at who he presumed to be Seto Kaiba. "Christ, what the hell man!"

Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corp. and under aged billionaire. Or so that's what this man looked like. He had the same brown hair, cut in that same fashion. Those same sharp eyes. They even had the same frown. However, there was something certainly different. His skin was dark, a deep tan. On top of that, he was practically half naked. A white cloth with purple trim was wrapped around his waist. Gold bonds graced his arms and neck. He even had ankhs hanging from his ears.

"Jesus..." Jou stared at him for a moment. "So you finally got sick of that trench coat or somethin'?"

'Kaiba' merely stared back, head tilting to the side. He seemed to be studying the blond.

"I didn't know you were an accessory kinda guy," Jou twitched, finding that look to be creepy. "Why the hell are you staring at me?" By now, he expected the dog jokes. And oh, was he ready for some come-backs. He wished he had his camera, he wanted a couple of blackmail photos. He looked away from the man, just to have a quick look around. It did remind him of the Egyptian exhibit, but this was not the same room. The paint was bright, and the walls were not pieces of stored rocks. It looked as if he walked into a pyramid, or a temple. The pillars were high, and the ceiling looked as if it were a hundred feet up. He growled, looking back at Kaiba.

"Hey, Moneybags." Jou scrambled to his feet. "Where the fuck am I? What did you do?" Because this would obviously be Seto Kaiba's doing. He was the only other man here. This _had_ to be his fault.

There was a frown on the tanned man's face. He spoke, but the words that came out were not English.

"What?" Jou quirked a brow.

He spoke again, further confusing Jou. The blond blinked, trying to figure out what the language was. However, the only conclusion he got was that Kaiba was fucking around with him. Jou grit his teeth.

"Sorry, I don't speak Jerk-a-nese."

'Kaiba' chuckled, so Jou's self-conclusion had become all the more satisfying. "Damnit, I _knew_ it. Stop messing around, where the hell—" but he was cut off. The tanned man had stood, suddenly shoving the blond back down onto the ground.

"Ow! You sonovabitch," Jou began. "Im gonna kick your ass-!" However, the man was already over him, pinning him down by the wrists. The blond struggled, kicking his legs. The obviously stronger male above him kept him pinned down with his strong thighs.

"Jono..." He said, hot breath tickling over Jou's ears. Something warm and wet brushed over the lobe, making Jou's eyes widen in panic.

_Kaiba just licked his ear._

"Oh shit..." the blond struggled harder, thrashing about. "Okay-- Haha, great fun joke-- GAH!" Teeth nipped the lobe. "All right that is _not_ funny! Get the fuck off of me you damned rapist!"

However, Jou's panic would not be heeded. That tongue touched more than just his sensitive earlobes. It was accompanied by lips, which brushed his jawline, and of course his neck. Jou felt his cheeks heat up, and he felt the blush creep to the surface of his face.

One of his wrists were relinquished. A strong hand was now on his chest, pushing open his jacket, fingers brushing over his breast. That was the moment Jou snapped together, punching Kaiba hard in the jaw.

The tanned man grunted. As he flinched, Jou pushed the man off of him, hurriedly scrambling to his feet. He turned to run, only to trip hard.

"Ah fuck!" The blond tried to get back to his feet, but found that he couldn't. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Kaiba gripping his ankle. He looked _pissed_. Jou kicked his leg, struggling to get out of the man's vice grip. He managed, the price being the loss of his left shoe.

Not that he cared much now. Jou needed to run, or risk losing his sanctity. He rushed down the huge room, entering a hall with more tall pillars and walls just covered in hieroglyphs. Maybe there was a way out of here. This still had to be the museum. Were there stairs? Was he still on the bottom floor? Oh god, and Yugi. The poor boy must have been worried out of his mind. Ahead, he saw a light. Light was good.

"Almost out!" Jou would have jumped for joy if he weren't still in danger. He burst through the opening, suddenly skidding to a hard stop. He stumbled, nearly falling forward, but forced himself to fall backwards instead, further adding a bruise to his tail bone.

"Nyeehh... what is it with me and falling on my ass...?" The blond shook out his head, grumbling. He stood shakily, dusting off his pants and jacket. He rubbed the back of his neck, his breath suddenly caught in his throat.

Laying out towards the horizon stretched many buildings made from stone. Above the sun was bright, glaring harshly on the city below. People were moving about, riding on the backs of horses or camels. Carts were pushed, voices were calling over in that unusual language Kaiba had spoken to him before. Jou looked around, then down at the ground. He stood at the edge of a long stairway, that seemed almost a hundred feet up. He looked back towards the city, noting the pyramids against the horizon. He swallowed.

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kan—" Jou was _this_ close to making a Wizard of Oz reference. He didn't have a chance to finish it. Pain exploded in the side of his head, everything turning black.

–

Hoho. This chapter is a bit short. :c

I'll make the next one longer. I hope you enjoyed it. 8D

Review please. I appreciate the watches and the favorites, but I'd love to know how I'm doing so far.

Xeora


	3. Phone Calls and Rain

Of Guns and Sand

by: Xeora

You know, each time I write this title the program keeps auto-inserting the word "sandwich" instead of just "Sand". XD

Personally, I blame Honda. That bastard.

Warnings: Manlove and such. We introduce the REAL Seto Kaiba. And possibly some ammunition. Rawr.

–

Three

Phone Calls and Rain

It was corny to say that he received a mysterious phone call. Such things are the cheat anchors for most oncoming plots, and this is no exception. Honestly, he had more than his fair share of mysterious phone calls, taking this one was only adding onto his ever growing list. Both of annoyances, and his chronicled _shit_ list. As one would eventually figure out the hard way, Seto Kaiba didn't have the patience to deal with such trivial matters. The only reason he would is if it was a _damned good one._ That, of course, was on his shortest of lists.

"Something precious has been taken," the caller had said. It was certainly female and quite soft. "Something of yours..."

There was little Kaiba actually valued. His company was intact, the last time he checked. Money was something he could practically "pull out of his ass", and Mokuba was safe playing video games. He knew this, because his little brother was sitting in his office doing so, making little "pew pew pew boom!" noises each time he destroyed an alien invader.

Kaiba held the phone to his ear, momentarily in silence. Pranks like this were played on him before. However, there was something about this voice. "And that is...?" His voice was low, certainly baritone and deep. There was a coldness there that he had grown proud of.

"For you to find out exactly," She said. "As it is your mistake... I'm afraid I cannot be the one to help you fix it."

"Mistake?" Kaiba quirked a brow. He smirked. "Seto Kaiba never makes mistakes."

"That is where you're wrong, priest." She said, making the young man frown. Priest? "Come and see for yourself. Retrieve what you've lost."

What he lost? Kaiba was silent again, mulling it over in his mind. Just what did he lose recently other than a few factory workers? However, those were the men and women he fired himself for their poor work ethic.

"Come to the museum," she continued. "He's waiting for you there." There was a soft click then, signaling that she had hung up.

Kaiba awaited the dial tone before doing just that himself. He glanced up at his brother, who wasn't paying much attention. The small boy jumped up, cheering loudly when he finally beat the evil alien overlord Zugzuh. "Wahoo!"

Usually Mokuba's antics would cause the elder Kaiba to curl his lips. For now, something else had been on his mind. Just what had he lost? What was taken?

What mistake?

Further more, who was _he_?

-

Jou had been missing for three whole days. In fact, 5:12PM of this very evening would make that exactly seventy-two hours on the dot. Give or take a few spare seconds.

For forty-eight of those hours, his friends spent their time frantically searching for Jounouchi Katsuya. It was unusual for him to simply just disappear (especially since there had been dinner awaiting him the night he seemed to vanish.) Yugi Mouto had waited for over an hour for his friend that evening. It was an hour more he spent, before finally just paying the waitress; leaving behind their cold burgers, soggy fries and warm milkshakes. He had traveled back to the Egypt exhibit, and even back to the other rooms. He searched all three floors of the museum, and even the roof where the observatory was sometimes open to the public on weekends. However, Jou was nowhere to be found.

And Yugi?

He was _frantic._

The small teen spent the rest of his evening desperately looking for his friend. There wasn't a sign of the blond anywhere. He re-checked the museum floors about fifteen times before finally giving in. He returned home on the bus, running back to the Kame Game Shop in tears. He was worried. Very worried.

He called everyone.

"Maybe he ran home," Honda had said. "You know how his old man is... sometimes, Jou left unexpectedly when we were hanging out too."

"But he _informed_ you," Yugi had told him, so distraught.

He called Anzu's home, only to find that she wasn't there. Yugi repeatedly called her cellphone, leaving six panicked messages. The girl finally called him back about an hour later. She had been in dance class, which was why she couldn't answer at first. However, Yugi hadn't given her a moment to explain herself.

"Jou's missing." Yugi said, sniffling. "Please, _please_ tell me you've heard from him."

Unfortunately, there was no luck with her either. "No, I haven't... that's unlike him to just leave you there, Yugi. Are you sure he didn't run home? Emergency, or something...?"

Every suggestion Yugi was given was something he had already sought out. Each lead to a dead end. He even tried to call Jou's home. He did so six times before he was answered by a slurred voice. A very angry slurred voice. Yugi didn't call again.

However, his worry had not diminished.

That next early morning had been storming. The rain drops fell heavy like small pebbles, but that didn't stop Yugi and his friends from scouring as much as they could of Domino City. The good and bad districts, and even districts they never visited. Anzu and Honda searched together on the back of Honda's motorbike, while Yugi simply searched on foot. He was soaked from head to toe, his usually spiked hair drooping in an almost upsetting manner. His eyes seemed watery, and it wasn't from the drops that fell heavy onto his head and shoulders. He was heading towards the museum.

Parked near the entrance was a familiar white stretch-limo. That pathetic sight of a tiny teenager is what Seto Kaiba caught first. He stepped out from his ride the moment his driver opened the door, holding an umbrella over the billionaire's head. The brunet could barely take two steps forward without having Yugi grasp his arm suddenly, making him stop in his tracks. Kaiba glared hard, harshly taking his hand back.

"Mouto, I thought you were more polite than that." He snarled out sarcastically.

Yugi stumbled, nearly falling on his face. However, he did look as though he would faint. There were bags under his large eyes, and his nose looked red. A cold must have been coming over the small teen. It caused the taller male to grimace.

"S-sorry..." he panted, leaning over with his hands on his knees. "Kaiba... I'm looking for Jounouchi... please tell me you've seen him."

"I don't keep tabs on your dog," Kaiba said smoothly.

"Listen, I know you two... never got along so well..." Yugi rubbed under his nose, sniffling heavily. It wasn't just from the cold he was getting. His eyes were turning red from crying. "But he's been missing for almost three straight days. Please... if you've seen him..."

Cold, steel blue eyes bore down on the exhausted form of Yugi Mouto. But the boy didn't flinch, he didn't even look as though he had the energy to in the first place. Most likely within those three days Yugi hadn't had a wink of sleep. No matter how many times he was attempted to be coaxed, by his friends, grandfather and the spirit that dwell within his mind.

"Go home and rest, Mouto." Kaiba said finally, his cold demeanor unwavering. "You look like the walking _dead_. If I see the mutt, I'll send him home with his tail between his legs."

As harsh as it sounded, Yugi was still thankful. The boy bowed deeply. "Thank you so much, Kaiba." There was a very weak smile on his face. He wiped his eyes, turning to run back down the sidewalk. He would rendezvous with Honda and Anzu... and hopefully, they would have some clue.

Strangely, Kaiba felt something tug sharply at his heart to learn that the mutt was missing. It was brief, and almost painful. Although, Kaiba dismissed it, thinking he may have imagined the twinge, or maybe he was experiencing heartburn. Never again would he eat tacos with Mokuba. The brunet turned to his limo driver, who was holding both an umbrella and his briefcase. He took the latter object, waving off the man. Seto Kaiba could handle a little rain. It wasn't as if he couldn't replace a vintage designer trench coat if it became waterlogged.

He looked up towards the museum entrance, taking each step easily. His trench coat, as usual, seemed to trail behind him like a cape. His hair, however, was now wet and dripping. He made it to the top of the steps. He shook his head, but only slightly, to get the water from his eyes.

"Mr. Kaiba..." there was that soft voice. A voice he remembered from the phone. Steel eyes met dark blue. "Thank you for coming."

A frown fell upon his lips. Kaiba's brows knit slightly. "Pleasure's all mine." However, he didn't sound so pleasant at all. He already felt his patience completely vanish.

The figure standing near the entrance seemed to smile slightly. She touched the ends of her dark hair, then bowed her head. "Forgive me. I am Ishizu Ishtar... Please, come inside. It must be cold." She stepped aside, holding out an arm to push open the glass door. Kaiba only seemed to stare hard at her, a hand on his narrow hip. He didn't move.

Ishizu waited patiently, blinking her kohl rimmed eyes slowly. "... he's waiting for you."

That earned her his first few steps.

–

*pouts* Okay, so... I'm ending it here. I'll have the next one up tomorrow evening, hopefully. Which I should, if I work on it in the morning, finish the rest in the evening and post before bed. In between time = work.

Faggotry, I know.

Review please. And I'll pleasure you in ways you just can't imagine. ;D

Xeora


	4. Chains and Stories

Of Guns and Sand

by Xeora

Oh look. Im back. With chapter four. D:

Thanks to all those that reviewed, put me on watch, put the story on watch, and of course favorited. I re-read my previous chapters, and I must say I feel quite... lame. XD I would like to take a short intermission from updating to edit the three previous chapters. Fill them with some meat, possibly with some clues as to what is to come. My grammar and word-choice is terrible. I'll be spending some time with my thesaurus. x.x

Warnings: Manlove and such... Darn. No trigger-happiness as of yet. :c I'll try and fit in them real guns in five. This may exceed my 10 chapter promise to myself... DAMNITALL. Enjoy.

–

Four

Chains and Stories

It was decided at this very moment that Jounouchi did _not_ like pain. At all. Waking up to it was perhaps the worst way to start his day. That is if one would call not being able to stand "starting" anything at all. He blinked his honey eyes slowly, meeting little to no light. He supposed it was a good thing, as he felt hung over. His body ached, he felt sick, and on top of that he had a skull splitting headache. The blond groaned, trying to adjust himself, only to find that he could not. He was upright, but his arms were elevated above his head. They felt numb, possibly because all the blood had rushed to his shoulders. Wincing, Jou slowly raised his head, trying to figure out exactly where he was.

There was firelight casting gold and orange across the stone floors. The source came from torches mounted on the walls. They flickered, but only barely. There was a short draft wafting through what Jou immediately figured to be a dungeon. Despite his pounding headache, he remembered where he was, and of course of what happened.

"Nyeeh... damnit..." Jou's brow twitched. He lifted his blond head, trying to move his legs and arms. There was a clanking noise. The more he moved, the louder they resounded. Chains. Wonderful.

There was only one thing to do.

Blame Kaiba. For _everything_.

"Damn you, Moneybags." Jou swore, closing his eyes tight. "If that bastard didn't try to rape me..." He twitched again, another thought assaulting his already assaulted mind. Just why the hell was Seto Kaiba attempting to molest him anyway? That seemed very out of character. In fact, it seemed downright outrageous. As did his outfit, gold jewelry and swimmer's tan. Admittedly, a nice swimmer's tan. Jou mentally slapped himself for even thinking so.

"That smug bastard and his tan..." He muttered, pulling on his bonds again. "I swear, once I'm out of these I'm gonna kill him."

That is, of course, if he could get out. The chains were quite firmly stuck in place on the thick stone walls. The only way out was to have these chains undone with a key... or to gnaw his arm off. After about a half hour of squirming around, Jou was starting to strongly consider the latter. He was about to attempt to try and bite at his arm, only to have his attention suddenly stolen away from thoughts and actions of escape.

The echo of footsteps graced Jounouchi's ears, making him turn his head to look curiously at the source of the noise. People were approaching, and he could hear voices. Once again, voices he couldn't understand at all. It was that odd language again. Jou shut his eyes tight once the firelight got too bright all of a sudden, only opening them again when he felt something prod his leg. Something sharp.

"Ack...!" His eyes snapped open. He moved his leg, eyeing the tip of a very sharp looking sword poking at his pant leg. "Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing!" Jou's indignant cry was only met with many more sharp edges being pointed at various vital points on his body, causing him to gulp. "Woah... fellas... there's really no need to poke me with pointy things..." he swallowed. "Or stab me..."

The men holding those weapons only glared down at him with their dark eyes. Their proper colors couldn't very well be discerned, as the lights made them all look red. On their heads they wore white turbans, and around their waists cloth. Sandals clad their feet. One of the men spoke, obviously addressing Jou. Once again, the blond just couldn't comprehend a single word of it.

"S-sorry... what...?" The blond winced. "Er... no hable... whatever you're talking."

The man seemed to growl. He repeated himself, jabbing his weapon at Jou slightly, making the blond flinch. He caught a few odd words, or sounds. _Khem, a'at, rux._ Honestly, it was just gibberish to him. A lot of meaningless babble.

The guard, as Jou decided to make an assumption of what this man was, yelled at him this time. It seemed this tanned individual was losing his patience. However, before Jou was sure he'd have a sword through his neck, another voice interrupted. It was low but soft, but still demanded authority. Those men stepped aside, allowing someone else to step forward.

Just for a brief moment, Jou _thought_ he was saved.

-

An empty museum building was probably considered creepy to most. Especially since there were only two people inside. The hall lights were dimmed, casting the displays in shadow. Some of those displays included preserved corpses, skeletons and strange arts from different cultures all over the world. Neither of them were paying much attention to it. Kaiba kept two steps back behind the dark haired woman who had summoned him here in the first place. Both were silent, the only sound was that of their steps. Kaiba's expensive boots clicked the loudest. Ishizu's soft padding made little to no noise at all. The CEO glared a hole into her back, which she didn't seem perturbed by in the least. When Ishizu felt they had walked far enough, she paused, Kaiba finally stopping beside her. The dark-skinned woman turned to look at him.

"Mr. Kaiba," Ishizu said, folding her arms over her stomach. "Before we begin here... I'm sure you have several questions for me."

"Just one," Kaiba said, fingers tightly curling over the handle of his briefcase. "Why am I here?"

Ishizu tilted her head, her eyes meeting his. She took a moment before responding in her soft voice, "To take back what you lost."

With her answer came several other questions. The brunet would have to bite his tongue on voicing those for now. "Don't beat around the bush." He told her darkly. "I want this over with quickly. I have more pressing matters to attend to."

"I completely understand." Ishizu said. "But this is of a _greater_ importance. Continue to follow me, if you will, Mr. Kaiba." She began walking again, leading Kaiba down to the end of the hall. There was only one room that was lit, this being the gallery for the Egyptian exhibit. Or at least one part of the exhibit. All around hung the ancient walls from long-since-crumbled temples and pyramids. Even a few slabs of stone that had been claimed to have once been held within the palace walls of Upper Egypt. Ishizu stood in the center of it all, beckoning Kaiba forward. With an almost hesitant step, the CEO did just that.

"There is a tale I wish to convey," Ishizu began, walking towards a few of the larger giant stones mounted on the walls. She paused again, looking up at each. "A tale that goes back thousands of years. Upon a tablet had it been written, lost, and chronicled again."

Kaiba visibly rolled his eyes. Wonderful. This meant he was going to be here a while. Which he most likely would be, Ishizu didn't seem to take notice of this man's withered patience. That, or just didn't care.

"Thousands of years ago there lived a priest," She said. "A high priest to the reining pharaoh of that time, who had fallen deeply in love with a Roman soldier. For such a time it wouldn't be considered uncommon for a man to take another man to his bed... but love was a concept only reserved to society's 'correct' standings."

"... what does this have to do with anything?" Kaiba's lips seemed to be set in a thin line. He had nearly scowled again. "I don't have time to be listening to your plot for a romance novel. Get to the point."

"This is the point, Mr. Kaiba. Allow me to finish." Ishizu went on. "These such damning circumstances is what drove them apart. A betrayal, a grave _mistake_ the priest had made resulted in the execution of this soldier, forever cursing their destinies, and forever keeping them apart. The priest _lost_ his lover..."

There was a silence between them. Kaiba took that time to think, still staring at the woman with a sour expression. Just what was she trying to accomplish with all this cock-and-bull about some gay priest? Was this some strange attempt to fool him? A practical joke? Perhaps she told him this plot because she really was writing a book, and needed funds. Or ever worse, a "forced-date" of sorts. He's encountered many strange circumstances with women trying to get him to date them. Ever since his name had ended up on the list of most eligible bachelors in Domino... However, this scenario almost took the entire cake!

The CEO snorted. "I think you've wasted enough of my time. Time you certainly cannot afford."

"You don't understand, do you, Mr. Kaiba?" Ishizu said. "You must fix your mistake. I am giving you a chance to do so. He'll die if you don't."

"Who is _he_?" Kaiba quirked a brow. "Do you refer to me as this _priest_?"

"What you once were, of course." Ishizu said. Her response was cryptic, serving to further annoy Kaiba. "In your distant, distant past..."

"I don't believe in reincarnation." He said flatly.

"Neither did the Egyptians... other than for the Pharaoh, that is." She walked over to the glass casing, using a pair of keys to undo the lock. She swung it open. A large, smooth tablet was contained within. The paint was luminous, the characters quite clear. One, however, looked completely off from the rest. It didn't look like a normal Egyptian hieroglyph at all.

"Come and look. See it for yourself." Ishizu said, stepping back.

The need for confirmation was possibly what drove Seto Kaiba to take a step towards that tablet. That figure there didn't even look Egyptian. Sideways, of course. But it looked to be wearing a jacket, jeans and sneakers. Not to mention a mop of messy blond hair.

"... Jounouchi Katsuya...?" Kaiba's eyes narrowed. Now he was sure this had to be some kind of joke. However, the sight surprised him. He nearly dropped his briefcase.

Unfortunately, that also meant his guard was down, which Ishizu took full advantage of. With both of her delicate hands, she shoved him forward, causing the brunet to stumble right into the rock.

Into being quite literal.

Although the experience for Kaiba was quite different. Around him, everything crumbled to pieces and fell at an alarming rate. Instinctively he clawed at the air to keep himself from descending.

In the end, he had no choice but to fall with it.

–

O FAWK ME. No, srsly. Please? D:

I'm going to take a possible 1-3 day short intermission to clean up my chapters and add in s'more details. It saddens me that I can't even exceed more than 4-5 or so pages. I am one sad ho.

Review please. Or no moar for you. ):

Xeora


End file.
